Need your practical and tactical thoughts on this. I occasionally (this means not everyday) carry a standard 1911/45acp with 2 spares of fully loaded magazines and a miniature folding Harley Davidson knife deep in my semi hi-cut boots. But lately, after dropping at a local sports store to shop for some shooting gloves i chance upon a regular aluminum baseball bat and I was wondering if its practical to put one in the car for additional protection . I was thinking that in the event of a possible armed confrontation (not exactly guns vs. guns) a bat would be an appropriate response. A knife would be more of a close contact combat however with a bat a 3ft fighting distance would be safer for me to address a possible agression or neutralize a perp. What y'all think?

What weight and length bat are you considering? When choosing a baseball bat, there are a number of factors that must be taken into consideration; Are you paranoid about little leaguers or big leaguers? Wood or aluminum? Skull smashing or just simple muscle and/or bone bruising? So many tactical questions... so much anticipation and paranoia, it's difficult to choose the proper tactical bat. You may also want to consider golf clubs... A 1 iron has very serious tactical possibilities.

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"Americans have the right and advantage of being armed- unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." - James Madison

no particular type of bat any kind of bat i thought wouldl do. as for legal issues on this, i think there is none as far as im concerned i lived here in R.P.

anticipation, paranoia? i really dont know. i just thought a bat response can be another tactical response. i thought it would not be appropriate to draw your pistol against 1 or even 2 BGs thats unarmed.

There are rumors circulating on the internet that aluminum baseball bats are able to deflect bullets the way Jedi deflect blaster bolts using their lightsabers. It can be done, but you have to be quick about it. Generally not a reliable technique. It's better to be the one WITH the gun.

stratus you just brought this bat thing to another level. seriously, the maglight is a sensible suggestion but i feel i can get a better grip and whack with a baseball bat

Speaking of lightsabers, they make some pretty sturdy lightsaber replicas that you can beat an opponent into submission with, plus they light up and make sound effects with the realism of the movies. Guaranteed to totally freak out your average BG. If you really want to send him to la-la land, shout in your most fearsome voice: "I have a thousand years of power!"

Another advantage of wielding a bat: The person holding it is allowed to get away with saying "I'm Batman".

Okay. Jokes aside, bats are fine. Really. I see no problem using them.

My most vulnerable time is when I exit a patient's home and return to my vehicle, a Jeep Grand Cherokeee, in bad neighborhoods. I have been away from the Jeep for 30-45 minutes, plently of time for a gang to organize an attack on my return, with the knowlege of where I must go. The attack could be for money, drugs. or syringes, all of which I am percieved as carrying.

I make it known that I do not carry these things unless for a specific patient who needs them.
I get to know people in these communities, including the little gangsters.
I do several things before returning.
I scope out the Jeep through a window.
When I leave the apartment, I take an alternate route to the Jeep.
I watch behind me in the glass of the Jeep.

Still, I am vulnerable because they know where I will eventually appear, at the rear of the Jeep. I expect the attack to commence when my back is turned, putting my medical bag into the rear of the Jeep.

I carry an aluminum baseball bat in the rear of the Jeep. I also carry my daughter's softball and glove back there. The bat gives me a formidable less than lethal weapon to engage multiple attackers with. It is longer, lighter, and more secure than a maglight. Thus it has more reach, swings faster and is less easily lost. A transition from bat to handgun is easily accomplished.

I have only had to pull my bat one time. It was a scenerio as I've described, at the rear of my Jeep several years back. I was an unknown quantity in this 'hood. As I was returning my bag to the rear of the Jeep, I was quickly approached by 5-6 teens who were intent on me and performing flanking manuevers. The leader was speaking something, I did not understand what it was. He was about 15 feet away when I pulled my bat out and whacked the end of it into my free hand.

They stopped dead in their tracks and dispersed. I took the bat to the front of the Jeep, got in, and drove off. They never knew I had a gun.

A properly applied bat can be an incapcaitating weapon that is not seen as lethal. The very fact that you resorted to it rather than your gun demonstrates your restraint. The key is having a reason for it being available at the time.

BigFun, +++ Put the bat on the floor behind your seat along with an old glove and baseball/softball.. that way you have a reason for the bat to be there!
Is America's past time against the law officer??

The only bat worth having is a black tactical bat; it should be a modern-metal bat; I would suggest titanium. Additionally, you should mount a sure-fire bat-lite on it, so that you can blind the perp before bashing him but good. Finally, you'll need a tactical behind-the-back bat-holster that allows you to carry the bat on your person when necessary.

heheh, I would just wait outside till they got tired of fighting. But then again you might be one of the guys that hit me on the back of the head and knocked me out while I was MPI, plainclothes in the E club.

Used to be good fun to watch the rookies run alone and get their buts kicked, only work once though, they would always wait for backup the next time.

I Agree with the 4D maglight. Baseball bats are better as two handed weapons, and real hard to fight with one handed. Also heavy flashlights are usually legal, and less threatening in some important situations. For example, if your car breaks down, or if you get into a fender bender no one will call the cops on you because you get out of your car with a flashlight in your hand. Ironically some police departments took away the multi D cell baton flashlights and went back to wooden batons and issued AA flashlights, because the big baton flashlight did "too much damage" to the bad guy, creating lawsuits.

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